The San Jose City Council unanimously approved Mayor Chuck Reed’s budget guidelines Tuesday that would open newly built libraries and a community center that have sat empty for lack of staffing and nearly double spending on gang prevention.

It was the first budget proposal that offered a chance to restore some services that have been slashed over a decade of deficits, as city officials project a modest $10 million surplus next year. Several council members called for devoting any additional surpluses that might emerge on police and fire protection, libraries and the elderly.

“These are all priorities we can agree on,” said Councilman Ash Kalra, who was joined in the proposal by Councilmen Xavier Campos and Kansen Chu.

But they couldn’t rally enough council support to officially commit the city to devoting any additional surplus to those programs. Council members Rose Herrera and Nancy Pyle were absent.

Reed urged caution, noting the upcoming surplus is expected to be followed by a deficit more than twice as big, as employee pension costs rise. He called it premature to commit to additional spending with money the city doesn’t yet have but urged city administrators to research the proposals by Kalra, Campos and Chu so the council can discuss them as the budget is finalized in May and June.

“We have a one-year reprieve this year,” Reed said. “We have to be cautious how we spend the money. I don’t want to restore services and have to cut it back the following year.”

Reed did include another proposal from Campos, Kalra and Chu calling for the city to work with school districts in determining how best to allocate the additional spending on gang prevention called for in his budget proposal.

The mayor’s proposed budget, once approved by the council, guides the city manager in preparing a draft budget in May to be finalized in June for the fiscal year beginning in July.

In addition to gang prevention and opening the new libraries and community centers, Reed’s proposed budget called for additional spending on road maintenance and maintaining funding for the Children’s Health Initiative, which helps those who can’t afford it to secure health coverage for children.

Many of those who commented on Reed’s budget proposal applauded the Children’s Health Initiative funding.

“You all understand how important it is to keep children healthy so they do well in school,” said Kathleen King, executive director of the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation.

John Woolfolk is a city news editor for the Bay Area News Group, based at The Mercury News. A native of New Orleans, he grew up near San Jose. He is a graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Journalism and has been a journalist since 1990, covering cities, counties, law enforcement, courts and other general news. He has been an editor since 2013.

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